Can breeders ever make good pets?

[usamma]

I keep seeing ads for breeders for sale, and the prices are a lot lower than the pet birds for sale. Some of the ads say specifically *not a pet*. With work and patience could a breeder ever transition to a loving pet? Or once a breeder, always a breeder?

[xafsmom]

Honestly, it depends on the bird itself. My GCC hens are all hand-raised and kept marginally socialized so I bounce them back into great pet status after I allow them a few clutches. Some of my other birds are wild-caught and would be down-right stressed to the bone in a pet environment, others might come around in time. Normally, I would answer 'probably not really'. You won't have the same cuddly, trusting creature you would off a pure socialized pet adult. Note, I say normally.

[Jag]

Just from my own perspective and opinion... I look at my 'rowdy boys' as if they were breeder birds. They acted like it...except for their inability to lay eggs. It's more work than I'd want to do again I think... they still have some 'quirks' but are so much better. I admire people who are able to do this all the time....for me it was heartbreaking, more so than for the boys. However, they are better...but I stop short of ever expecting them to be like Rico and Rayne...even though they were hand fed. That only takes them so far....I have personally avoided any notion of taking in a bird that 'was' a breeder. I don't have it in me, I don't think.

[Scritch]

Agreed, it depends on the bird. I had a couple of breeding pairs of conures, sold to me as breeding pairs with no notes on their tameness, that turned out quite tame. I bought a female "breeder" mitred conure who ended up as tame as my hand-raised baby, and given a "breeder" Amazon hen who was quite the sweetie, too.

On the other hand I had a couple of pairs who were completely stressed by even the most benign presence of people. They'd hide in their boxes and keep a careful eye on me the entire time I was in the room, and I could almost hear the sighs of relief when I left! These birds would not have been easy, or happy pets.

One of the things that bugs me about the term "breeder" is that it doesn't denote any special quality. I mean, if you're a dog breeder and you use the term "breeding quality," you're implying that the dog is exceptional, worth breeding. A "pet quality" dog is a step below a breeder quality dog, it may have a trait or two you wouldn't want to see passed along. It's the exact opposite in birds. "Pet quality" means tame, lovable. "Breeder" means the bird doesn't cut it as a pet -- it's too wild or too mean, or it lays eggs incessantly, or it plucks when left alone. Are these really the traits we want to breed into birds??

Now there are certainly "breeder" birds that would make awful pets, and still make great breeders -- especially a lot of wild-caughts, or domestic-breds that were never socialized with people. But somehow I think breeding the birds that didn't make it as pets is a BAD strategy for future generations!

I'm not bashing all breeders here... the good ones know better! But it seems to be a common practice among not-so-good breeders, because obviously the birds that didn't make it as pets are cheap to acquire.

Anyway, that got off track... sorry... bottom line is, birds marketed as "breeder" birds are usually marketed that way because they're *not* easy pets (otherwise they'd be selling them as pets, at a higher price) BUT, some can still become pets with enough time and love.

[usamma]

Good points Scritch!

[ThreeX]

To begin with my attitude towards pet birds are radically different from most forum members here it seems.. If i wanted a cuddly pet who'll never fly away i'd buy a rabbit or a guinea pig.
That said, i know of breeder/aviary birds who are what i'd call tame. That is, they talk, come sit on your shoulder and don't hesitate to take food from your hand. My own pet birds aren't really much more tame than that and that's perfectly fine by me. I see extreme cuddliness and human "dependency" as un-healthy behaviour actually.. Again my own birds aren't afraid of me (or humans) they know 'step up' and 'step down' and when they feel like it they will bow down for some scritches. They are very independant, just the way i want it.
Going back on track/topic - yes breeder birds can be tamed, maybe not to the 'rabbit with wings-level' but good pets, yeah. I wouldn't count on it though.

[pippy]

Originally Posted by ThreeX

To begin with my attitude towards pet birds are radically different from most forum members here it seems.. If i wanted a cuddly pet who'll never fly away i'd buy a rabbit or a guinea pig.
That said, i know of breeder/aviary birds who are what i'd call tame. That is, they talk, come sit on your shoulder and don't hesitate to take food from your hand. My own pet birds aren't really much more tame than that and that's perfectly fine by me. I see extreme cuddliness and human "dependency" as un-healthy behaviour actually.. Again my own birds aren't afraid of me (or humans) they know 'step up' and 'step down' and when they feel like it they will bow down for some scritches. They are very independant, just the way i want it.
Going back on track/topic - yes breeder birds can be tamed, maybe not to the 'rabbit with wings-level' but good pets, yeah. I wouldn't count on it though.

Your birds sound very much like mine!

[Scritch]

LOL ThreeX, I actually like rabbits because they're particularly "untame" in a similar way to parrots -- you can't really force them to do anything without screwing up the relationship, and if they get uncomfortable with you, they just run away. Give them respect and you'll get it, though, same as parrots! There are super tame and cuddly rabbits, of course, as there are super tame and cuddly parrots (umm, overbonded cockatoos, anyone?). But all of my bunnies were a bit more stand-offish and independent. They liked cuddles, but on their terms, when they asked for it... not when I wanted to force it on them.

So would I ask for "rabbit-tame" from my parrots? Yes, but apparently my rabbits are not so tame as yours! If I want endless affection and a near godlike status from my pets, well, I've got dogs for that...

[ThreeX]

Yeah well.. rabbits was just the first "cute animal you see kids hauling around the house" species that popped up in my mind :)
I agree though and change my statement to "most users on this forum seems to want a parrot that acts like a hobbled dog" :p

[dmiller91]

Originally Posted by ThreeX

change my statement to "most users on this forum seems to want a parrot that acts like a hobbled dog" :p

I don't think you are really being fair. I think a lot of folks are on this forum to learn the proper ways to be friends with birds.

Maybe you are referring to those that own birds and don't study and try to learn, but I would say that people are in general, attracted to these boards to learn from folks who know more than they.

I have spoken to some very knowledgeable folks in just the short time I've been here. I have learned many many things, and it doesn't have to do with making my birds more cuddly or more rabbit-like. Rather I've learned more about respecting who they are and establishing a relationship that is proper for us both. I read a bunch of books too, but this forum has been more valuable than books because you can give and take, ask questions back and forth.

Forums are fun to mingle with other like minded people, yes. But I think a lot of people I have encountered on this forum truly want to do the right thing.